Famed Musical Weeks

After 45 years of history, this cultural event in Frutillar represents a festival of good music. Every season, the Theater of the Lake -a splendid space devoted to art and located on Lake Llanquihue, awaits an audience that fills its rooms during ten days. The festival includes music from different time periods and authors, played by famous national and foreign performers and conductors. Symphonic orchestras, chamber musicians, choirs and soloists take part in this event. Every time we entered the venue to see the concerts, we could perceive a relaxed atmosphere where appreciation for the artists was present all around. Holding our programs, we had a close look at the huge echo chamber in the room. While the players took their seats by their instruments in front of the music stands, we let ourselves be carried away by the sensations in our hearts.

Everyone Minds their Own Business

We closed our eyes because it was not necessary to see them, just feel them and admire the way they performed the tuned instruments. The score established counterpoints that turned instruments into protagonists at different times. Impeccable! Absolute silence in the audience. The musicians invited one another to dance amidst the eighths, sixteenths and a hundred and twenty-eighths. Every one of them was paying attention to their own score but sharing looks with the rest in order to manage that essential unison in which chords do not compete but work together in harmony. They could not help moving. They experienced music and danced to it, even though they remained sitting on their chairs. Our hands wished to express our admiration after every piece but the applause was to come at the end. It was not appropriate to interrupt. The Amphitheater is visually connected with the Llanquihue and the silhouette of the snow-capped Osorno Volcano crowned by a soft but almost permanent haze. This provides a unique extra feature: the scene. The largest room in the venue -Espacio Tronador- features a unique beauty and amplitude and it can seat almost 1,200 spectators. Completely made of wood, spaces are outlined by the curved lines on the stage, rows of seats and high balconies. The Musical Weeks have a fascinating history, as they used to be carried out inside the local Catholic and Lutheran temples and the municipal gym. As time went by, ampler owned spaces were required for the traditional concerts to be held.

Echo Chamber

And so the Theater of the Lake was built: an architectural venue with cutting-edge technology that complies with the strictest international standards. Its excellent acoustic conditions cause the sound to become amplified. Spectators may find a location in any angle, whether during philharmonic concerts, opera or ballet. Its outer structure made of wood and crystal resembles the primitive constructions raised by the German immigrants and somehow pays homage to them. Several extra rooms become appropriate to dictate courses and workshops of several kinds, thus encouraging the development of culture, education and creativity. Having the chance to talk to one of its creators was something beyond our expectations. However, we managed to have a word with the president of Corporación Cultural Semanas Musicales, Ms. Flora Inostroza. We learned how her aplomb, competence and enthusiasm were put to the test ever since the origin of the Musical Weeks. Expert on the different aspects of the organization, she gave us details about the selection of the artists that participate in this event every year. "There are regulations and demands concerning the spontaneous presentation of the artists who present their curricular background. The final program is made according to diversity. This is suggested by the members of the audience themselves, who always express what they want and expect. It is evident that the presence of young people is a fact that allows us to continue working. It is amazing to see the great amount of performers and people who come from distant countries to join us year after year”. As we left after a concert one night, the lights of the theater were reflected upon the surface of the lake and the chords of pipes were heard in the distance. A musician delighted us with his tunes for a while under the southern stars and, in spite of the cold, the magical night seemed to have no end. During that week, the performances presented at noon, in the afternoon and in the evenings made it possible for visitors from neighboring cities to become nourished with the best shows with free access. A short tour around the lakefront unveiled significant musical symbols, gifts from the sponsors who helped integrate Frutillar to the musical world. The odeon, the gazebo, the simile Steinway grand piano are but some of those ornamental contributions made year after year and highly praised by all visitors. “Everything is in tune, like the best of violins”, Frutillar welcomes the Musical Weeks every year and everyone works for a city with a soul.